Bob's Trailer Park residents: 'Nowhere to go'

ROCHESTER — The final three residents of Bob’s Trailer Park are asking for more time to move.

“We really have nowhere to go, nowhere,” Teresa McConnell told the Rochester City Council during a public hearing Monday night.

McConnell, who shares a trailer with Norma Hanson, said they found a potential apartment that will work with Hanson’s wheelchair, but the space won’t be available until August, which is two months after they are scheduled to move out of the trailer park.

“We don’t want to be there, but there’s nowhere else to go,” Hanson said, pointing to her inability to afford rent with the disability payment and county funds she receives.

Their neighbor, Thomas Moe, said he’s also struggling to find new living arrangements after 25 years in the trailer park at 1915 Marion Road SE.

“I thought I was going to retire and live there the rest of my life,” he said, also pointing to a challenge related to limited income through his disability check.

All three residents said they have struggled to get what they consider adequate assistance from the county and other programs since they were notified of the park's closing in September , which was followed by the loss of running water in November.

“I don’t want to be homeless, but there’s no place else to go,” Hanson said. “Please, help us get out of there and into a place where I can function.”

Scott Kramer, a principal in Pennsylvania-based TSJ Parks LLC, which owns the park, said he’s willing to provide more time, but didn’t offer a specific extension.

“We do have some sympathy for the last three people there in the park,” he told the council. “If they need a little extra time to find housing, we have no objection to that.”

Kramer said the company plans to build 60 units of housing on the site , which is expected to cater to low-income families.

The company had sought city support for state tax credits related to the project, but Brent Svenby, Rochester’s senior administrative analyst, said the request was pulled.

“They are not submitting an application for housing tax credits this year,” he said.

The delay points to the lack of an immediate timeline for the property, and Taryn Edens, manager of Rochester’s Housing and Neighborhood Services, said Monday’s public hearing doesn’t set a deadline.

“This hearing tonight doesn’t mean the park will close at the end of the month,” she said.

Edens added that she’s received “optimistic information” from Olmsted County officials that could point to opportunity to resolve the housing issues for the three trailer park tenants, but she wasn’t able to provide details due to confidentiality concerns.

“I can’t share it, but it’s my understanding that it’s being addressed,” she said.

Edens said the city couldn’t take specific action regarding the agreements between the trailer park owner and the remaining tenants.

The intent of Monday’s public hearing was to provide a state-mandated comment period on the planned closing and potentially assign a neutral third party to negotiate any outstanding issues.

Since the owner and tenants are already represented by attorneys, Edens said a third-party negotiator is not needed.

When it comes to the court agreements reached earlier this year, McConnell said the tenants are waiting on payments.

Agreements with TSJ Parks calls for McConnell and Hanson to receive $5,000 for relocation and moving expenses, while Moe, who owns his trailer, is slated to receive $7,000 for similar expenses.

Kramer said payments toward the agreements were sent to his attorney and should be forwarded to their attorney this week.